Danielle Horne

Rare Care’s team expands each spring when we are joined by seasonal staff who assist with field work to support the recovery of endangered plants and restoration of their habitats. This year we were thrilled to be able to hire five talented biologists, and their experience, enthusiasm and hard work were a tremendous asset to our team.

Teddy Pierson joined us for the entire field season and assisted with the Wenatchee Mountains checker-mallow introductions (Sidalcea oregana var. calva) project, the Colockum restoration project near Wenatchee, the White Bluffs bladderpod (Physaria douglasia ssp. tuplashensis) seeding study at Hanford Reach National Monument, and Spalding’s catchfly (Silene spaldingii) monitoring in Lincoln County. Prior to working with Rare Care, Teddy was a Rare Care volunteer and also had experience working in land restoration and in the horticulture field. They truly got a tour of the central and eastern Washington flora and habitats while working on Rare Care’s projects this summer.

We are also grateful to have Jennie Green join our team this year. Jennie started in May to assist with two Wenatchee Mountains checker-mallow recovery projects: installing soils probes at Camas Lands and collecting vegetation data at our habitat restoration project site. Jennie also was a Rare Care volunteer and had previous experience monitoring invasive and rare plants for a local consulting firm. We were thrilled that Jennie was able to stay on with this fall to help support volunteer coordination for our rare plant monitoring program while our Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator position is vacant. Her previous experience as a Rare Care volunteer made this an easy transition and we are so grateful for her help!

Three other members rounded out our field crew this spring. Jackson Wright helped with data collection for the Colockum restoration project as well as the with the Wenatchee Mountains checker-mallow recovery projects. With two simultaneous projects occurring for the checker-mallow at the same time, we were thankful to also have the capable assistance of Anna Wilson and Kayce Khsueh to help complete the data collection while the plants were in bloom.